Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Roscoe Karns (September 7, 1891 – February 6, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in nearly 150 films between 1915 and 1964. He specialized in cynical, wise-cracking (and often tipsy) characters, and his rapid-fire delivery enlivened many comedies and crime thrillers in the 1930s and 1940s. Though he appeared in numerous silent films, such as Wings and Beggars of Life, his career didn't really take off until sound arrived. Arguably his best-known film role was the annoying bus passenger Oscar Shapeley, who tries to pick up Claudette Colbert in the Oscar-winning comedy It Happened One Night (1934), quickly followed by one of his best performances as the boozy press agent Owen O'Malley in Howard Hawks' Twentieth Century. (Six years later, he co-starred as one of the reporters in another Hawks classic, His Girl Friday.) In 1937, Paramount teamed him with Lynne Overman as a pair of laconic private eyes in two B comedy-mysteries, Murder Goes to College and Partners in Crime. From 1950 to 1954, Karns played the title role in the popular DuMont Television Network series Rocky King, Inside Detective. His son, character actor Todd Karns, also appeared in that series. From 1959 to 1962, Karns was cast as Admiral Walter Shafer in seventy-three of the ninety-five episodes of the CBS military sitcom/drama series, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper in the title role of a United States Navy physician, and Abby Dalton as nurse Martha Hale. His final film was another Hawks comedy, Man's Favorite Sport?, in 1964. Karns was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Los Angeles. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roscoe Karns, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Acted in 136
1960s
- 1964
Man's Favorite Sport?
Major Phipps
- 1962
1950s
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1954
1940s
- 1948
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
Officer Carmody
Speed to Spare
Kangaroo
Devil's Cargo
Lt. Hardy
The Inside Story
Eustace Peabody
- 1947
That's My Man
Toby Gleeton
Vigilantes of Boomtown
Bill Delaney
- 1946
Avalanche
Red Kelly
I Ring Doorbells
Stubby
One Way to Love
Hobie Simmons
- 1944
Hi, Good Lookin'!
Archie
The Navy Way
Frankie Gimble
Minstrel Man
Lasses White
- 1943
His Butler's Sister
Fields
Riding High
Shorty
My Son, The Hero
Big-Time Morgan
- 1942
You Can't Escape Forever
'Mac' McTurk
Yokel Boy
Al Devers
Woman of the Year
Phil Whittaker
A Tragedy at Midnight
Cassidy
- 1941
Road to Happiness
Charley Grady
Half Shot at Sunrise
Henry Warren
The Gay Vagabond
Arthur Dixon / Jerry Dixon
- 1940
Meet the Missus
Joe Higgins
Ladies Must Live
Pete Larrabee
Saturday's Children
Willie Sands
Double Alibi
Jeremiah Jenkins
1930s
- 1939
That's Right – You're Wrong
Mal Stamp
Everything's on Ice
Felix Miller
Dancing Co-Ed
Joe Drews
King of Chinatown
Rip Harrigan
- 1938
Thanks for the Memory
George Kent
You and Me
Cuffy
Tip-Off Girls
Tom Benson aka Tommy Logan
Dangerous to Know
Duncan
Scandal Street
Austin Brown
- 1937
Partners in Crime
Sim Perkins
On Such a Night
Joe Flynn
Night of Mystery
Sergeant Heath
Murder Goes to College
Sim Perkins
Clarence
Clarence Smith
- 1936
Cain and Mabel
Reilly
Three Married Men
Peter Cary
Border Flight
Calico Smith
- 1935
Two-Fisted
Chick Moran
Front Page Woman
Toots O'Grady
Alibi Ike
Carey
Four Hours to Kill!
Johnson
Red Hot Tires
Bud Keene
Wings in the Dark
Nick Williams
- 1934
I Sell Anything
Monk
Elmer and Elsie
Rocky Cott
Shoot the Works
Sailor Burke
Come On, Marines!
Spud McGurke
- 1933
The Women in His Life
Aloysius Lester
One Sunday Afternoon
Snappy Downer
Gambling Ship
Blooey
A Lady's Profession
Tony
Today We Live
McGinnis
Grand Slam
Contest Radio Announcer
- 1932
Under-Cover Man
Dannie
They Call It Sin
Brad - Rehearsal Director (uncredited)
Night After Night
Leo
One Way Passage
S.S. Maloa Bartender (uncredited)
The Crooked Circle
Harry Carter
Two Against the World
Segall, reporter
Week-End Marriage
Jim Davis
The Roadhouse Murder
Dale
Play Girl
Gambler (uncredited)
Stowaway
Insp. Redding
High Pressure
Telephone Salesman (uncredited)
- 1931
Ladies of the Big House
Frank - Twenty Questions player (uncredited)
Left Over Ladies
'Scoop'
Pleasure
Arnie
Laughing Sinners
Fred Geer
Many a Slip
Stan Price
- 1930
The Gorilla
Simmons
The Costello Case
Blair
Man Trouble
Scott
Little Accident
Gilbert
Safety in Numbers
Bertram Shapiro
Troopers Three
Bugs
1920s
- 1929
New York Nights
Johnny Dolan
This Thing Called Love
Harry Bertrand
Copy
City Editor John Mack
The Flying Fleet
Shipwrecked Radio Operator (uncredited)
- 1928
The Shopworn Angel
Dance Director
Object: Alimony
Al Bryant
Jazz Mad
Sol Levy
Moran of the Marines
Swatty
Win That Girl
Johnny Norton II
Something Always Happens
George
The Desert Bride
Pvt. Terry
The Trail of '98
Man on Ship (uncredited)
Beau Sabreur
Buddy
- 1927
Ten Modern Commandments
Benny Burnaway
Ritzy
Smith's Valet
- 1926
You'd Be Surprised
Party Guest (uncredited)
- 1925
The Overland Limited
Patrick Henry Madden
- 1924
The Foolish Virgin
Chuck Brady
The Midnight Express
Switch Hogan
Bluff
Jack Hallowell
- 1923
Other Men's Daughters
Hubert
- 1922
Conquering the Woman
Shorty Thompson
The Trouper
Movie
Her Own Money
Jerry Woodward
- 1921
The Man Tamer
Bradley P. Caldwell Jr
- 1920
The Life of the Party
Sam Perkins
The Family Honor
Dal Tucker
1910s
- 1919
Poor Relations
Henry